Today’s guest post is written by a colleague of mine at the Professional Business Coaches Alliance. Jeff Kofsky is the President of Higher Vision Coaching, and in this insightful article, he provides some great advice on getting things done! Enjoy!
Eric Deschamps, Business Coach – Ottawa
Do you have trouble getting things done? If so you are not alone. Getting things done is one of the most important things you need to be able to do. It is highly valued, even indispensable in the marketplace, in your own place of business or, for that matter, in your personal life. Yet it is the one thing that most people have trouble mastering. I know, because I’ve struggled with this, myself. I’ve made the mistakes and know how we sabotage ourselves. So I’ve studied the problems, discovered best practices, and am going to recommend solutions which I have worked for me and will work for you. So take note as we walk through the problems and explore solutions.
Let’s start with the problems. We’ll look at three of them. Take note which apply to you.
#1 You are disorganized. You don’t know where to begin. You’ve got so much stuff to do – phone messages and e-mails to answer, bills to pay, sales calls to make and so much more that you just don’t know where to begin. So you defer that important business plan to do something quick and easy like run errands and by the end of the day you’ve gotten nowhere with what you really needed to do, and then tomorrow comes and it’s the same thing all over again.
#2 You are overwhelmed. You avoid doing the things you have to do because the job is way too big. You put it off because you don’t know where to begin, or you don’t know how to do it and get stuck – it’s like you are sinking in quick sand and you miss your deadline.
#3 You are a procrastinator. You avoid doing the things you should or must do. You’ve gotten into the habit of doing everything but what you need to do. Instead of completing that business plan, you turn to the Internet to see if there is some software that can help you get things done better than what you’ve got, or you decide you better walk around the block again to get more exercise. Or you decide it’s time for an Ice Cream Sundae. Or worse of all, you think the problem will go away if you put it out of your mind – like an ostrich hiding its head in the sand.
Do you have any of these problems? Which ones? I’ve had all of them. Enough of these problems! You can do something about them Let’s talk about solutions. What do the experts do?
#1 Disorganization – The simplest solution (very low tech) is simply to make a list and cross things off as you do them. My wife is a world class doer, does that and it works well for her. She also writes on post-it notes and puts them prominently in front of her and tosses them when she is done. But If you are looking for more professional advice you might consider the some suggestions from those widely recognized as masters.
Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, puts forth the idea that it all begins with what is most important to you. He recommends creating a mission statement, and identifying the most important things you need to do to realize that mission. Then just execute on those things.
David Allen wrote a book and created a system called: Getting Things Done, commonly known as GTD. It is quite popular right now. I highly recommend his approach to simplifying your to do’s by using a collection strategy that puts all your to do’s in one basket. If you can centralize all the things that you want or need to do, it will be much easier to take hold of the enormity of things that call for your attention.
If you find that you are doing little things just to get them out of the way, but never get to the really large and important things, I recommend a little book by Brian Tracey called Eat That Frog. The most powerful Idea I found there was simply this: When you’ve got so many things to do, Eat That Frog – take on the biggest, baddest, most arduous task first. You’ll discover as I discovered for myself – when you get that task done, you feel great. You are empowered and everything else is like a piece of cake.
#2 You are overwhelmed. For this problem, I recommend David Allen’s approach. It goes right to the point. We get overwhelmed when we’ve got a big project and don’t know where to begin. Allen suggests that we take our projects and break them into smaller pieces. See what sub tasks have to be done first and what can only be done afterwards. Then do the very next thing you can. This is project management 101. But what about those things that you don’t know how to do? Those are the kinds of things that once kept me stuck. But don’t lose hope. Just break those tasks too, into smaller pieces – like find out how to do it. Maybe the very first next action is to do some research on the web. If you practice this approach you’ll be amazed at what you can do – maybe even make a million dollars!
#3 Procrastination. Nike has a powerful solution to this problem – “Just do it.” For some of you this might work – It takes discipline and determination and the cultivation of the just do it habit, but it truly works wonders – procrastination vanishes. But if you are like me, that habit could use a little support. There are many ways to train yourself. Let me tell you what I’ve done. After organizing and prioritizing my tasks, and after breaking up my large projects into smaller chunks, I put that list of tasks right in front of me and go to it, one task after the other – crossing off each task as I go. Try it. Then reward yourself – do something you enjoy. Give yourself credit for your accomplishments and the can do person that you are. Let me tell you when you get things done that way it feels like a million dollars.
If you’ve struggled with disorganization, overwhelm or procrastination, there is hope, a way out of despair. Just follow these simple practices that can take your game to a higher level. I hope you’ve identified those that you’d like to try. What are they?
#1 For disorganization – Know what is most important, simplify your system and do the hardest things first.
#2 For Overwhelm – Break things into the smallest pieces and start on what you need to do next.
#3 For Procrastination – Just do it – and find a way to make it happen.
But, having said all this, there is an ultimate solution to getting things done: Your Word!
When you say you are going to do something – do it – no matter what. When you do this you become unshakable, a force of nature. Not many people these days hold themselves to this standard. So set yourself apart – Become a Force of Nature!
We are all very busy people today, but, and without procrastinating, take the time to learn about the best practices of getting things done and you will become a much more effective person. If you do this, the whole course of your life will change and you will be the kind of person that everyone wants – including you!
Jeff Kofsky, President of Higher Vision Coaching
]]>People often ask me, “What should I look for in a business coach?” It’s a great question, and in a world filled with people jumping on to the “coaching” bandwagon, finding a credible and capable coach is becoming more and more challenging. Here are a few areas to look into when considering hiring a coach:
Ask about their TRACK RECORD! What have they accomplished? Have they ever led a successful business of their own? Do they have significant leadership experience? Do they have the scars and the successes that can greatly benefit you and your business?
Inquire about their TRAINING! Is the individual you are considering certified? Do they belong to a credible coaching organization? Remember: just because someone has been in business, it doesn’t mean that they are capable of coaching someone else to do the same!
Ask about their TOOLKIT! What resources, tools, etc. do they have at their disposal to help you play your “A” game? Coaching should help you DO better (get better results), not just FEEL better! What do they have in their coaching arsenal? What process/system do they use to improve the performance of a business/individual that they coach?
Look for TRUST! This is more of a subjective issue, and I understand that trust is built over time. But when you meet them for the first time, do you feel this is the kind of person you could trust? Remember that the chemistry and rapport you feel with your coach is an important element to the success of the coaching relationship.
For more information on what to look for in a business coach and advisor, check out the following video:
Click here to view the video on YouTube.
To your ultimate success!
Eric Deschamps, Business Coach – Ottawa
]]>Have you ever made serious mistakes in your life and business that cost you dearly? Have those mistakes ever left you feeling defeated and discouraged? Consider the following insurance claim filed by an injured bricklayer.
“Dear Sir,
I am writing in response to your request for additional information. In block number three of the accident reporting form, I put “poor planning” as the cause of my accident. You said in your letter that I should explain more fully, and I trust that the following details will be sufficient.
I am a bricklayer by trade. On the day of the accident, I was working alone on the roof of a six-story building. When I completed my work, I discovered that I had about 500 pounds of brick left over. Rather than carry the bricks down by hand, I decided to lower them down in a barrel by using a pulley, which, fortunately, was attached to the side of the building at the sixth floor. Securing the rope at ground level, I went up the roof, swung the barrel out and loaded the bricks into it. Then I went back to the ground and untied the rope, holding it tightly to insure a slow descent of the 500 pounds of brick.
You will note in block number eleven of the accident reporting form that I weigh 175 pounds. Due to my surprise at being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded upward at a rather rapid rate up the side of the building. In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel coming down. This explains the fractured skull and broken collarbone.
Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley. Fortunately, by this time I regained my presence of mind and was able to hold tightly to the rope in spite of my pain.
At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of bricks hit the ground and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Without the weight of the bricks, the barrel now weighed approximately 50 pounds. I refer you again to my weight of 175 pounds in block number eleven. As you might imagine, I began a rapid descent down the side of the building.
In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the two fractured ankles and the lacerations on my legs and lower body. The encounter with the barrel slowed me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell onto the piles of brick, and fortunately, only three vertebrae were cracked.
I am sorry to report, however, that as I lay there on the pile of bricks, in pain, unable to stand, and watching the barrel six stories above me, I again lost the presence of mind AND I LET GO OF THE ROPE!”
The only true failure is the failure to learn from your mistakes! Like the bricklayer in our story, many people keep making mistakes over and over again because they fail to learn from their errors and adapt accordingly. This holds them back from reaching their full potential.
Successful people know that the pathway to success is often littered with failures and setbacks. But unlike the average person who gives up prematurely, successful people know how to turn adversities into advantages, problems into potential, and failures into feedback. This is called failing forward.
Too many people allow failure to DEFINE them rather than REFINE them. Failure is a moment in time, not a state of being. It is an opportunity to learn and grow and try again. It is a teacher and mentor, if we accept its help. It’s one thing to say, “I failed” and another thing altogether to say, “I am a failure.”
Many people have tried and failed. The only difference between losers and winners is that losers stop trying. They give in to defeat, and accept a passing setback to define them as a person. Successful people don’t allow their HISTORY to keep them from fulfilling their DESTINY.
The lessons that you learn from failure must not be forgotten or dismissed. The experience you gain will be invaluable to you in the future. That’s why failure should not be feared. It can play a crucial role in your success story, if embraced in the right spirit.
Remember, the worst failure is failure to try. Don’t let yesterday’s FAILURE bankrupt tomorrow’s EFFORTS. Theodore Roosevelt praised the man who…
“…if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly!”
Consider your latest setback. What important lessons can you draw from it that can help you do better next time? You won’t get it right every time, but “failing forward” can help you get maximum traction out of every failure in your personal and professional life.
Eric Deschamps, Business Coach – Ottawa
]]>I am thrilled to have my friend and colleague Lara Wellman guest-blog for me this week. Lara is an expert in using social media to build your business online. As a relative newcomer to social media last year, I can say that it accounts for over 70% of my new business! In the following post Lara highlights the basics for those of you still struggling to wrap your head around this whole social media thing. Enjoy!
Twitter. Facebook. Blogging. People keep saying, “you NEED to be involved in social media for your business”, but you don’t really understand why or – even more importantly – how.
What is social media?
We get bogged down in the term “social media” a lot. Social media is simply a way of grouping together a set of new tools, just like the terms publicity, print advertising, and public relations.
Social media, and the use of it in business, is about using the tools out there to create a presence online for your business. It’s also a great tool for building and maintaining relationships with your clients and potential clients.
Ultimately, it helps to think of social media as some of the tools to incorporate into your overall communications and marketing plans. These tools are termed “social media” because they allow your audience to interact and be social with you, unlike more traditional channels which are all about pushing out the message with no easy way to respond or reach out.
Why use social media?
The way people seek out information is very different than it was ten years ago. People first go to Google or ask friends on Facebook for recommendations and references when trying to find new companies to deal with.
In addition, fewer people are spending time with traditional media like television and newspapers. If you want to catch your audience where they are spending their time, being online is very likely the place to be. Spend your time and money where your audience is.
Where do I start?
There are so many tools and they all have different purposes. Here are descriptions of four of the big ones. Start by figuring out what your goals are and where they fit best, and then start there.
Blogging:
A blog allows you to create content on a regular basis on your own web site. This gives people a reason to continue visiting your site; when your content never changes people have no reason to come back unless they are specifically looking for your service. If you entice them to your space with interesting content then you can regularly remind them about your services and establish yourself as an expert in your field.
Blogs are also great tools for search engine optimization. The more often you have new content on your site the higher search engines rank your site.
Facebook Pages are a great place to regularly engage with your clients in their own space.
Think of your Facebook Page as a storefront. You’ve already convinced people they like you enough to care what you have to say, now you have to provide them with the kind of content they want.
People want value for liking a Page, so this is your opportunity to share Facebook-only specials, to give tips and tricks that help your audience, and give them reasons to keep visiting your web site with regular links.
LinkedIn is a the place to establish your professional presence. People will often search a person on LinkedIn before attending a meeting with them, considering them as an employee or a service provider. An easy start with LinkedIn is to create your profile, keep it up-to-date with a recent photo of yourself, and regularly connect to the new people you meet in your business dealings.
Within LinkedIn there are also opportunities to connect with people in similar areas through groups and discussion groups. LinkedIn is the channel that requires the least amount of regular updates to still have value.
Twitter is like a 24-hours-a-day networking event. Being active on Twitter is an opportunity to reach people in your target market and convince them that they want to know more about you.
However, just like a networking event you can’t position your content as marketing. You would never walk up to someone at an event who you have never met and loudly exclaim “25% off carpet cleaning this week only!” You would instead introduce yourself and converse in some light chit chat before moving on to what you do and how you could potentially be of service to each other.
Twitter can have a lot of value, but it does require time and commitment to engagement to get the most value out of the tool.
Take the leap
Social media isn’t going away. Take some time in 2012 to figure out how you’re going to get involved. Take a course or read one of the endless books or blog posts that help you figure out where to start. It takes some time to feel comfortable and build a following, but it’s well worth the time!
Lara Wellman - www.larawellman.com
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One of the main challenges small and medium sized businesses face is how to market their products/services on a limited budget. You know you need to get your message out there, but how do you do that in a way that is both cost-effective and still gets results?
When I launched BreakthroughCoach, I focused my efforts on internet marketing and social media. Nearly 70% of my clients have come from these sources! I am more convinced than ever that if you’re in business but you’re not on the internet, then you’re not in business!
This week I am pleased to introduce you to Nathan Richer, a friend and colleague of mine. As the owner of Virtual Alchemy, a company devoted to helping you maximize your online marketing, he possesses a wealth of information on the subject. I hope you enjoy his post!
Over to you Nathan!
Eric Deschamps – Business Coach Ottawa
Do you have a website?
Can your website be found via Google?
Would you like more customers?
With over 1.9 billion internet users worldwide, you shouldn’t be asking yourself if your business needs to be found online. Instead, you should be asking yourself what you can do to tap into this vast resource of potential customers!
If you have a professionally designed website, you may think that you have already done what you can to market your business on the Internet. However, that is just the tip of iceberg. The key to being found online is so much more than a well designed website; it’s what is hidden beneath the surface that determines your results and returns!
When you want to find a service or a product, where do you go? Most people head straight to Google to find a business that meets their needs. Is your website showing up on the first page of the Google search results? If it isn’t, you are missing out on a TON of potential customers. Statistics show that 95% of people never make it past the first page of the search results!
Although there are some website designers that will optimize your website (for an additional cost), this isn’t always the case. For instance, think about the person you had build and design your brick and mortar store. They decorated the office and made sure the chairs, desks and computers were ergonomic; however, they probably didn’t stand outside with a sandwich board and pass out flyers to attract customers to your business.
The same applies to the virtual world. A website designer will design your virtual “office”, but unless it was specified in their contract, you should not expect them to market it in Google and other popular search engines. This is a separate – and very crucial – job!
The great news is that it is not too late to get your business on the first page of Google. There are certain things you can do that will get your business’s website found online by people looking for – and ready to – buy your product or service. This includes, amongst others, tactics such as using appropriate titles, keywords and back-links.
In addition to getting your business found via search engines, you should also be using social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.
Why?
• If Facebook were a country, it would be the 3rd largest on the planet.
• There are more than 101 million users on LinkedIn.
• More than 200 million tweets are sent each day.
These three statistics all say the same thing – Social Media is a great way to get in front of a large crowd. The key with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and any other social sites is to utilize them properly.
If you sign up for Twitter and do nothing but blast out sales pitches all day, you aren’t going to have many followers. Social media is all about building relationships with potential customers. It’s about carrying on conversations, sharing posts or tweets and being responsive on a regular basis.
Not only will this make your Social Media experience more enjoyable but you will build trust with those in your network. And, what is something that buyers need to have before they invest in a service or product? Trust.
While it may sound like a lot of work, it can be quite fun and rewarding, both on a personal and professional level. The more you put into social media, the more you will get from it.
There are many other forms of internet marketing, such as mobile marketing, reputation management and video marketing, that will help you attract and convert more customers. However, if you start by getting your business found online through popular search engines and by building relationships using Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, you will be well on your way to a more prosperous business.
If you have been trying to find a way to get more customers and make more money, you must invest the time and resources to develop a sound internet marketing campaign. It is simple.
Nathan Richer
Virtual Alchemy
www.virtualalchemy.ca
[email protected]
Tragedy and loss are the great equalizers. None of us are immune. If you are reading this, then chances are you have experienced the pain of losing a loved one as well. This pain is magnified many times over when a child passes away at a very young age.
In this blog post, I want to introduce you to a little girl called Maddy. Through the eyes of her family and friends, I believe this little one will touch your heart. Although I never knew Maddy personally, it is evident that her life made an impact on those she knew and loved.
Please read this post carefully, and consider supporting this great cause. Thanks to my clients and friends Heather & Fabien Cauley and Mike Courneya, owners of Bronson Johnson Seamless Eavestroughs for allowing me the privilege of participating in this endeavour. To Dean & Jeanine (Maddy’s mom & dad) and Hannah (Maddy’s sister), thank you for the honour of highlighting Maddy’s story.
I turn the rest of this post over to Heather, and Maddy’s family.
Eric Deschamps, Business Coach & Advisor – Ottawa
Madison Karolina Otto was an energetic, happy and incredibly loved little girl when she passed away suddenly at the age of 5 from a brain tumour her family didn’t even know she had. The last hours of Maddy’s short life were spent at Roger’s House, a paediatric palliative care facility on the grounds of CHEO, where she was surrounded by family and friends. The following is a letter written by Maddy’s family in her honour:
“This is the story of a little girl, a superhero, an angel, and her name is Madison Karolina Otto. Madison was the most spirited little girl anyone could ever meet. She was both full of life and lived life to the fullest for her short 5 years. You would often see her dressing up in costumes, Spiderman, Woody and her favourite… Batman, and let me tell you, she thought she WAS batman in that costume!!
Maddy loved her family and friends so much and you could always count on a smile and some funny little comment to cheer you up whenever she was around! She commanded attention and was always the star of the show. Life is just not the same without her
In 2007, Maddy was diagnosed with an inoperable tumour on the brainstem. She went from being a perfectly normal 5-year old on Sunday, July 15th to one of God’s angels two days later. Our family was blessed to have received the support of Roger’s House and to have benefited from their services.
During Maddy’s final days, we were welcomed into a family suite at Roger’s House, which offers the comforts of “home away from home” where we hosted a number of family members along with our closest friends. To have spent those last cherished moments with Maddy surrounded with so much love and support provided comfort to our family. We have also since learned how to cope with our tremendous loss by attending grief and bereavement classes also offered at Roger’s House.
In addition to bereavement counselling, one of the ways we continue to stay strong is by raising funds for Roger’s House. It helps us to know that we in turn are helping other families with sick children and that they too can draw on this amazing resource in our community. Located on the grounds of CHEO, Roger’s House provides a comprehensive pediatric palliative care program with elements of outreach, residential hospice, pain and symptom management, grief and bereavement counselling and research.
By purchasing this calendar you are ensuring that Roger’s House will be there for those that will need it. You are making a difference to families like ours who would not have known what to do if Roger’s House had not been there.
Life can change so quickly and it is comforting to know that facilities such as Roger’s House exist in our community. Thank you so much for making a difference and being a part of Maddy’s story!
Sincerely,
Dean, Jeanine & Hannah Otto (Maddy’s Dad, Mom & Big Sister)
Maddy’s story is just one of many. Since Roger’s House opened its doors on May 15th 2006, hundreds of families have had to bear the unfathomable grief of burying their little loved ones.
Fabien & I are personal friends to Jeanine, Dean and Hannah. In keeping with our company’s mission statement, we would like to give back to Roger’s House by selling calendars featuring 12 very handsome men (that I have given a personal thumbs up to, and I am known for my superior taste in men! A plug for Fabien!), 2 of which have said good-bye to their children at Roger’s House.
Calendars are $20.00 each and all proceeds will go to Roger’s House, in memory of Madison. Bronson Johsnon Seamless Eavestroughs does not benefit financially in any way from the sales of these calendars.
To order your calendars, please contact me by email at [email protected] or by phone at (613) 619-1357. Accepted methods of payment are cash or credit card. With Christmas around the corner, these calendars make excellent gifts!
Thank you for supporting such a worthy cause!
Most sincerely,
Heather Cauley
Director of Lasting Impressions
Bronson Johnson Seamless Eavestroughs
(613) 619-1357
[email protected]
www.bronsonjohnson.com
“Bronson Johnson Seamless Eavestroughs consistently strives to be trusted by our customers, revered by our competitors and honoured by our community.”
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“Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail.” ~ Charles F. Kettering
In last week’s blog post, I wrote about “The Power of Perseverance.” Let me probe a little further today…
Allow me to state the obvious. Success is only achieved if you possess the courage – the intestinal fortitude – to stick it out long enough to see your dreams become a reality. Dreaming about the future is one thing, but the secret to success is in the doing!
Your business started with an idea! You gathered all the needed information and created a your business plan. You committed to all kinds of fancy goals and strategies. But then came decision time. Would you go ahead and jump in with both feet or would you bail out because the venture appeared too difficult and too risky?
It is often at this stage that the greatest challenges emerge. In an age of “instant solutions” and “quick fixes”, many people expect results even before they start doing anything. They take a few steps and quit prematurely because they don’t experience phenomenal success immediately. They throw in the towel, wondering why their plan didn’t work. The real question is did they work the plan? Did they follow through? Did they persevere?
The secret to success is in the DOING and in the “KEEP DOING.” For how long? As long as it takes! What do you have to do to succeed? Whatever it takes!
Only you can decide how much time and energy you will invest to ensure that your goals are achieved. But once you have decided, make sure you FOLLOW THROUGH! Be true to yourself. Honour your word. Take action, and persevere. As in the story in last week’s blog post, don’t stop three feet short of the gold!
You may choose to follow someone else’s plan because they achieved success in an arena similar to yours. But remember: your outcome may look very different from theirs. You are unique. Only you can write your own story and create your own outcome. Whatever the outcome is, it’s an experience that was worth having. You either learned HOW TO DO something or HOW NOT TO DO something.
This doesn’t mean that you don’t need help from others. Actually, your learning and progress can often be greatly accelerated by the people you surround yourself with. However, don’t ever forget that the final buck stops with you.
Here is the simple truth, the SINGLE SOLITARY REASON why so few people ever achieve their dreams: they are simply UNWILLING to do whatever it takes, for however long it takes! Few people fail, many people quit, most people don’t even try! The secret to success is in the DOING! In the words of NIKE, JUST DO IT!
Here’s something to consider…
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” ~ Teddy Roosevelt
Get in the arena. Stay in the fight. Embrace the prize. Savour the victory.
Here’s to your success!
Eric Deschamps, Business Coach/Advisor – Ottawa, Canada
]]>“You’ve got to say, ”I think that if I keep working at this and want it badly enough I can have it.” It’s called perseverance.” Lee Iacocca
“Great works are performed not by strength, but by perseverance.” Samuel Johnson
Successful people never give up. They have a “don’t quit” attitude that sustains them when they encounter inevitable roadblocks and setbacks. They keep trying, working, and persisting long after the average person has thrown in the towel. They persevere to the end.
One of the most common causes of failure is quitting too soon. Most of us have made this mistake at one time or another, and maybe even on several occasions. To achieve your dreams and goals, you must learn to persevere through hardships and setbacks. Every great achievement in history was often preceded by great opposition. And some of the greatest failures can be traced to giving up prematurely.
In his book “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill there is a story that illustrates this principle quite powerfully. Hill tells the story of R.U. Darby’s uncle who was caught by “gold fever” in the gold-rush days, and went west to find his fortune. He staked his claim and went to work feverishly to make his fortune. The work was hard and the progress slow, but his lust for gold fuelled his efforts.
After weeks of strenuous labour, Darby’s uncle struck gold! But he needed machinery to bring the shiny ore to the surface. Quietly, he covered up the mine, returned to his home in Williamsburg, Maryland and told his relatives and a few friends of the “strike.” They pooled their money together for the needed equipment, and had it shipped to the secret location. The uncle and Darby went back to work the mine.
The first train car of ore was mined, and shipped to a smelter. Their returns proved they had one of the most lucrative mines in the state of Colorado! Only a few more cars of that gold would clear their outstanding debts and place them within reach of huge profits. Their dreams of unimaginable wealth drove them forward and onward!
Then something terrible happened. The vein of gold ore disappeared! They had come to the end of the rainbow, and their pot of gold had apparently vanished. They kept drilling, desperately hoping to find the vein again. All their efforts were met with failure. The vein couldn’t be found. Finally, after significant effort and cost, the decision was made to throw in the towel.
Discouraged and defeated, they sold their machinery to a local junk man for a few hundred dollars, and took the train back home. The junk man was aware that the Darby’s had been mining gold ore. He called in a mining engineer to inspect the mine and make recommendations. The engineer advised him that the project had failed, because the original owners were not familiar with “fault lines.”
His calculations showed that the lost vein would be found just three feet from where the Darby’s had stopped drilling! And that is exactly where the junk man found it! He extracted millions of dollars in gold ore from the mine, because he knew enough to seek expert counsel before giving up.
Have you ever stopped drilling just three feet short of the gold? Have you ever thrown in the towel, only to discover that victory was just around the corner? On your success journey, you are sure to encounter failure and defeat along the way. When obstacles overtake you, the easiest and most logical thing to do is to quit. That is exactly what most people do.
The junk man understood the value of calling in an expert to help him turn the “impossible” situation around. Who do you turn to (in your life and business) for that expert opinion that provides the winning edge?
Successful people persevere to the end. In his book, Hill noted that more than five hundred of the most successful men in America at this time reported that their greatest success came just one step beyond the point at which defeat had overtaken them. Don’t stop digging three feet short of the gold. Endure to the end, and reap the benefits.
Eric Deschamps, Business Coach/Advisor – Ottawa
]]>“There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction.” Winston Churchill
Whether good or bad, positive or negative, the one constant in life and business is change. It is inevitable. Being creatures of habit, change tends to push us out of our comfort zone, requiring us to make decisions and take action. Embracing transformation demands much more from us than going about our humdrum daily routines. Living in a rut is certainly predictable, but it is hardly exciting! In general, most people tend to view change in a negative light. Yet no matter you feel about it, you can’t stop change from happening.
How do successful people respond to change? They choose how they allow it to affect them. They view it as an opportunity for growth and upward momentum. And you must do the same. One of the most pivotal steps on your journey to success will be your decision to embrace change for the breakthroughs it presents, even when the change appears to be a negative one.
Motivational speaker Tony Robbins once said…
“All personal breakthroughs begin with a change in beliefs.”
Whether change leads to a positive or negative experience in your life often depends on your attitude towards it. Successful people understand that no matter how bleak it may seem, change brings about opportunities to make and can a positive outcome if one embraces it correctly.
For most people, the fear of change is rooted in insecurity. They prefer to go with the devil they know than the devil they don’t know. A successful individual who has taken risks and overcome the obstacles accompanying those risks has strengthened his/her self-confidence muscle. Through hard work, preparation, perseverance, success and overcoming failure you can condition yourself to face anything with confidence instead of fear. Being confident means that you believe in yourself and that no matter what changes you encounter, you will prevail and turn it into a rewarding experience both personally and professionally. This keeps you focused on the positive.
Successful people choose to succeed. The average person wishes for success. Notice the difference? The choice to become successful and follow your heart is backed by a firm conviction that you CAN do it. The underlying foundation of a wish is doubt. As a matter of fact, by wishing for something, you are already accepting the possibility that it may never come to pass!
Most people are afraid that they won’t be strong enough to handle change. Because of this fear, they have the tendency to get stuck in the paralysis of analysis. They fail to see the opportunities that change introduces. When faced with transition, ask yourself, “What can I learn from this?” and “What opportunities lie before me?” By positioning yourself in this manner, you can maximize the experience and allow it to propel you forward toward your preferred future.
How you deal with change speaks volumes about your character. If nothing else, change is a great opportunity for self-examination.
Reflect back to the last two or three major changes that occurred in your business and your personal life that initially you viewed in a negative light. Think about the benefits those changes led to. Did you grow? Do you feel more prepared to deal with a similar situation in the future? Did you strengthen your self-confidence muscle? If so, then strive to view future change in a positive manner. Don’t fight it. Embrace it! In all likelihood, it will be the best thing you ever do.
Eric Deschamps – Business Coach/Advisor, Ottawa
]]>“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.” – Mother Teresa
Famous advice columnist Ann Landers once published an interesting letter in her column. It was from a young lady who was writing about her aunt and uncle. She wrote:
“My uncle was the tightest man I’ve ever known. All his life, every time he got paid he took $20 out of his pay cheque and put it under his mattress. Then he got sick and was about to die. As he was dying, he said to his wife: “I want you to promise me one thing. Promise me that when I’m dead you’ll take my money from under the mattress and put it in my casket so that I can take it all with me.”
The young lady’s letter went on with the story. “When he died, his wife kept her promise. She took all the money from under the mattress and went to the bank and deposited it. Then she wrote out a cheque and put it in her husband’s casket.”
The old saying remains true. You can’t take it with you!
Too many people fail to grasp the power of giving. They live by the adage “pay yourself first.” But it’s my conviction that real success and meaning come from living a generous life, where the focus is on helping and blessing others.
Living generously helps you stay grounded on your success journey. And you don’t have to be making a fortune to get started! For example, you might sponsor a child in a poverty-stricken nation for as little as $30-40 a month. For the price of a cup of coffee every day, you can give a child a hope and a future they wouldn’t have otherwise.
If you own your own business, make it a part of your business and personal policy to give back. And not just to charitable organizations… Be generous with people! Your generosity may help change a life. At the very least it will be a high point in their day or week. You may never know the full impact your generosity can have in someone’s life, but you don’t need to. You can simply enjoy living generously and share in the sheer pleasure of giving.
Now I get that not all millionaires and successful people embrace this worldview. As a matter of fact, the world has more than its share of miserable rich people. To be happy with your wealth and success, however, you need to be generous. The millionaires who are truly content are the ones that embrace the value of giving. Consider the following story.
“What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.” – Albert Pine
The very first person to reach the status of billionaire was a man who knew how to set goals and follow through. At the age of 23, he had become a millionaire, and by the age of 50 a billionaire. Every decision, attitude, and relationship was tailored to create his own personal wealth and power.
But three years later, at the age of 53, he became terribly ill. His entire body was racked with pain and he lost all the hair on his head. In complete agony, the world’s only billionaire could buy anything he wanted, but he could only digest milk and crackers. An associate of his noted that during this time, he could barely sleep, wouldn’t smile, and nothing in life meant anything to him. His doctors gave him less than a year to live.
As he neared death, he woke up one morning with the vague remembrance of a dream. He could barely recall the dream but knew it had something to do with not being able to take any of his riches and successes with him into the next world. The man who could control the business world suddenly realized he was not in control of his own life.
He was left with a choice. He called his attorneys, accountants and business managers to a meeting, and announced that he wanted to channel his extensive assets to hospitals, research, and mission work. On that day, John D. Rockefeller established his now famous foundation. This new direction led to the discovery of penicillin, and cures for current strains of malaria, tuberculosis, and diphtheria. The list of discoveries resulting from his decision is enormous.
But perhaps the most amazing part of Rockefeller’s story is that the moment he began to live generously, his body’s chemistry was altered so significantly that he recovered from his illness. It looked as if he would die at the age of 53, but he lived to be 98! Rockefeller learned the power of generosity.
What about you? Are you in the habit of being generous? Make a commitment to be on the lookout for someone who might need a helping hand. It doesn’t have to be much, but the reward for both of you will make it totally worth it.
Eric Deschamps, Business Coach/Advisor – Ottawa
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